Chapter 50: Eviction Notice

"We're still at least two weeks away," Carol insisted, standing in the kitchen with her hand on her back. "I haven't felt one contraction. Not one. We promised Merle when he left we'd go out once a week to the highest point of that hill and try the radio, just in case Eugene managed to fix something with the signal thingy."

"Signal thingy," Daryl snorted. "We're usin' the fancy words now, huh?"

"Shut up," she laughed. "We promised." She nodded toward Jerry and Nabila's house. "Take Jerry with you. He's been itching to get out of the house for a while." She narrowed her eyes at him. "It's a twenty minute drive, the road is clear, and you'll be home before you know it."

"You tryin' to get rid of me?" Daryl asked with a smirk. Carol rolled her eyes.

"It looks like it might snow. I'd rather have you home before you get caught in a snowstorm."

"Still lookin' after me after all this time, huh?" he asked, pulling his arms around her. Her belly bumped against him, and he looked down in awe. "You're so…"

"If you say 'big,' Daryl, I swear to God…" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I was gonna say beautiful, but you are…well, you're big. You sure you ain't hidin' two in there?"

"Don't even say that," Carol gasped, horrified. "Don't even think it."

"Thinkin' it ain't gonna make it so," Daryl snorted.

"No, no. Just don't go there." He hushed her with a kiss, and she laughed against his lips. "Now stop changing the subject." She pushed back on his shoulders. Daryl groaned but nodded his head.

"Alright, I'll go try the walkie. Still don't think it's gonna do no good. They're too far away."

"Glenn said Eugene's been working on a stronger radio, maybe one that'll contact this walkie on that frequency."

"I know, but it's an awful long way away."

"But it's still worth a shot just to see how everything's goin'. Unfortunately, we can't just tie a note to a bird's leg and send it their way."

"Who'd do that?" Daryl asked, furrowing his brows.

"You never watched those old shows? Sombody in some dark, old castle would send a raven or a pigeon."

"Pigeon?" Daryl asked. "Dumbest damn bird I ever seen, but…"

"Okay, let's move on," Carol laughed. "It's not important. But this is." She put the walkie in his hand. "I'd do it myself, but…"

"I got it, I got it," he sighed. "You need to go sit yourself down on the couch and put your feet up."

"Please," Carol snorted. "Between Henry, Lydia and Luke, I don't have time to put my feet up."

"More reason I should stay and help you around here instead of goin' out."

"You're the only one here who knows exactly what to do and where to go. I'll be fine for a couple of hours. I'm not going to explode." Daryl looked down at her belly and quirked an eyebrow. Carol put her hand on his chin to lift his gaze back up. "Ha ha, very funny."

"Won't be long. I promise. Don't overdo it today. You promise?"

"I promise," she insisted.

"Alright. I'll be back after lunch. You call Denise over if anything happens."

"Not my first rodeo, Pookie," Carol offered with a wink. Daryl chuckled then and pulled her in for a kiss. He helped her clear the rest of the breakfast dishes before leaving, and when Carol finally made her way upstairs, she poked her head into Lydia's room. Lydia and Henry were over playing with Dylan, so the house was fairly quiet.

Since they seemed to keep acquiring children, Carol and Daryl had decided to keep the baby in their room until he or she was sleeping through the night. Right now, Luke and Henry shared a room, so Lydia was going to half to sacrifice part of her room before long, but she seemed fine with it. She was already asking all kinds of questions about the baby, eager to help out.

The past couple of months had been uneventful. Aside from Merle's leaving with Glenn, Rosita and Aaron, the most excitement they'd had was change in weather. Winter was coming, and everybody was busy weather-proofing their homes and stockpiling firewood. On top of that, the community had been working double duty to preserve all of the vegetables they'd harvested, and now they had a pretty good stock to get them through until spring.

Carol was due soon. She was uncomfortable, but she'd been nesting. She knew the baby was coming soon, and Daryl was already worrying himself over it. She remembered how flustered he'd gotten right before Luke's birth, and this wasn't any different. She was just thankful to have him as a partner. He held her hand and wiped her forehead and just tried to be supportive while she did all the hard work. She knew he'd be no different this time. Something about this one felt special. This was going to be the last.

She often looked at herself in the mirror, her long, silver hair pulled back, and she remembered standing in front of a similar mirror so many years ago, her long, dark hair pulled back as she caressed her stomach and dreamed of meeting her little girl and doing all of the things she used to do with her mother and grandmother. And when she looked in that mirror, she felt exhausted. But every minute had been worth it. She only wished Sophia could see her younger siblings and meet this new one. She knew Sophia would've been a wonderful big sister.

Carol opened Lydia's chest of drawers and began making room in half of them for the new baby's things. She knelt down and pulled a box out from Lydia's bed marked OLD BABY CLOTHESand began pulling out the tiniest little sleepers and outfits. She marveled at how her babies had once been so tiny they could fit in them, and soon, she'd have another tiny one who'd grow up in what would feel like the blink of an eye. It made her sad, but she knew this birth would bookend her extraordinary family, and she was looking forward to closing that chapter in her life.

A knock from downstairs pulled Carol from her daydreams, and it took her a few moments longer than usual to get down the stairs. When she arrived at the front door and opened it, Dog came rushing in ahead of Lydia, Henry and Dylan.

"Slow down!" she cried out, as they ran up the stairs. Andrea came walking in last, shaking her head in exasperation.

"If only we could bottle that energy, huh?"

"You're telling me," Carol sighed. "Just walking down the stairs make me want to take a nap."

"Yeah, not much longer, huh?" Andrea asked, touching Carol's belly. "You're carrying high like I did with Dylan."

"That doesn't mean anything," Carol laughed. "I carried low with Luke and with Sophia. This one's just confusing me all together."

"How are you feeling?" Andrea asked sympathetically, hugging her friend.

"Ready to write an eviction notice. No, I feel great. Really. I've been getting the house ready and keeping an eye on Daryl. He's nervous. He won't let on, but he is. But I'm exhausted. I'm up late with heartburn, and then I sleep in, and I feel groggy all day. My ankles are swollen, and I feel like this baby's pressing on every nerve in my lower back." She gasped softly then, putting her hand against her back as a sharp pain shot through it. Andrea raised her eyebrows.

"That great, huh?"

"Oh, I'll be fine. I'm just anxious to meet her, I guess."

"Her?"

"Oh," Carol laughed. "Daryl has me doing it now. He's convinced it's a girl. We have a little bet going on." She grinned. "Oh, speaking of Daryl, he's heading out to check the signal on the walkie. Maybe we'll hear from Merle today." Andrea hesitated, and Carol raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you should have gone along to tell him hello."

"Please. I'm sure he's forgotten all about me. He probably has a girlfriend in Alexandria by now. He'll bring her with him when he comes back."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Carol cocked an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. "When a Dixon man looks at a woman the way Merle looks at you, that's forever." Carol reached out and hugged Andrea. "Welcome to the family. You're stuck with us."

"Thanks," Andrea laughed. "So, what's the plan today? I thought I'd come hang out with you for a little bit." Carol eyed Andrea.

"Daryl sent you over here, didn't he?"

"He might have asked me to drop in," Andrea offered with a shrug. "Besides, I need some adult conversation. You up for it?"

"Oh, absolutely. If only I wasn't almost nine months pregnant, we could open up a bottle of red and have a girls' day."

"You have cider?"

"Do I have cider?" Carol furrowed her brows. "Wait, do I have cider? I have three kids living under my roof that drink it like their lives depend on it."

"You go sit down, I'll go check." Carol laughed then and headed to the living room, and as she sat down, another pain shot through her, this time through her lower belly. She took a deep breath then, and it was gone, and she told herself it was just a twinge. Moments later, Andrea appeared with two wine glasses and a bottle of fresh cider. "See? Girls day!" Carol laughed and smiled up at her friend as she poured her a glass. She was thankful for the laughter and for the experience of talking with another woman about things Daryl could certainly never understand, try as he might.

"So talk to me," Carol said with a sigh, absently stroking her belly with one hand while she clutched the glass of cider in the other.

"About what?" Andrea asked. Carol tensed then, gasping as another pain shot through her.

"Anything." Carol gasped softly, and Andrea's eyes went wide.

"Carol? You ok?"

"Yeah. Just back pain. It's nothing."

"Back pain like actual back pain? Or back pain like a contraction?"

"What?" Carol asked. "No. No, it's not that." She winced again, this time sitting up a little in her seat. Her hand stilled on her belly, and she groaned softly. Andrea put her cider glass down. "Where are you going?"

"I'm getting Denise. I think your eviction notice came through."